Born and raised in Columbia, the son of a truck driver and an Alzheimer’s nurse, Sam Johnson knows the challenges Columbia’s families face every day. Working long hours and night shifts to provide their children with the opportunities they never had, his parents led by example instilled with a strong work ethic and an unshakable belief in what is possible.
After graduating from Spring Valley High School, he went on to study at the University of South Carolina and work for SC Representative Anton Gunn before joining Steve Benjamin’s landmark 2009 campaign for Mayor of Columbia.
Following Benjamin’s historic win, Johnson joined the Mayor’s Office where he worked on and helped secure over $1 billion in economic investment for Columbia led a number of important projects initiatives for Mayor Benjamin including My Brother’s Keeper Columbia, the Mayor’s Fellows, the Famously Hot New Year celebration, the Regional Mayors collaboration and the Bull Street redevelopment project.
Following his service in the Mayor’s Office, Johnson received his juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law and joined local firm Maynard Nexsen where, working with former Columbia Mayor Bob Coble, he has focused on public policy and job creation.
Sam is married to local attorney Ashley Johnson and the two have two daughters, five-year-old Kennedy and their newest addition, Olivia.
After 12 years of serving as mayor of Columbia, Mayor Steve Benjamin founded a municipal government advisory firm called Civint. Civint, which stands for civic intelligence, helps companies and nonprofits across the country understand how to navigate municipal government. In April of 2023, Mayor Benjamin stepped away from Civint to serve as Senior Advisor to former President Joe Biden and Sam stepped in as Chief Executive Officer of Civint.
Johnson has served and continues to serve a number of important organizations including:
- South Carolina Afterschool Alliance, Chair
- The Nickelodeon Theatre, Executive Committee
- Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (Experience Columbia), Board of Directors
- Trustus Theatre
- SC PASOs
- Midlands Technical College’s Human Services
- University of South Carolina Alumni Association Board of Governors
- Talented Tenth
- South Carolina Philharmonic’s Advisory Board
- Teach for America SC
- Harvest Hope Food Bank
- SC State Museum
- Senior Resources
- Columbia Opportunity Resource